


Rough Waters

by TheCaitalloWrites



Series: The End of the World as We Know It [6]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Delirium, Gen, M/M, Major Character Injury, Religious Discussion, Sick Character, Zombie Apocalypse, no actual sebelliott but subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-03 22:31:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12156120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCaitalloWrites/pseuds/TheCaitalloWrites
Summary: When one of the guys is injured and becomes sick, they are forced to face the terrifying reality of mortality and loss.





	1. Chapter One

They were vastly outnumbered by the zombie hoard they had accidentally stumbled upon. They had tried to gun down as many as they could, but there were still so many more. They fled, changing direction.  
  
Kurt fired at another one with his handgun before quickly holstering the weapon and grabbing the shotgun strapped to his back. “Getting low on ammo here!” It wasn’t as though they had time to reload at the moment. He took out another zombie with the shotgun slug, and quickly dashed a further distance before shooting another down.  
  
Suddenly, Adam spotted some sort of fence constructed out of scraps of metal; it might not hold them back long, but it would put something between them and the zombies, and thus buy the four of them more time. If they could clear it…  
  
“Quick! This way!” He called, attempting to jump the structure. “Over this thing!” It seemed he would make it over when he felt something tear into his left leg. He cried out in pain and fell to the other side of the fence.  
  
“Adam!” Kurt was right behind him, clearing the fence and landing beside him a moment later. “Are you okay? What happened?”  
  
“I dunno,” Adam answered, investigating his injury. It was a rather deep gash, something—likely a sharp piece of metal—had ripped through his trouser leg and into his flesh. “I think I might’ve got caught on some metal.” Pausing and looking around, he asked, “Where are the others?”  
  
As if in response, Elliott landed beside Kurt, stumbling slightly, and a moment later Sebastian fell to the ground next to him. “Not a word, Gilbert,” he muttered as Elliott helped him up.  
  
There was a banging coming from the other side of the fence. Adam got to his feet with some assistance from Kurt. “Is everyone alright?”  
  
“Are _you_ alright? You’re kinda bleeding a lot,” Elliott asked, taking notice of Adam’s injured leg.  
  
He winced as he placed more weight on it, but he could still use the limb, which was what really mattered for now. “I hit a snag on the fence. I’m sure it looks worse than it is. Anyway, we need to keep moving.”  
  
Kurt looked like he was about to argue when the fence moved behind them, redirecting his attention. “Alright, but as soon as we get away from those bastards we deal with that.” He gestured towards Adam’s injury.  
  
“Deal,” Adam said, moving forward as best as he could. Surveying the area, they saw they had stumbled upon a private residence that appeared abandoned. There was a gate on the opposite side of the yard from them, which led them to a conjoining property that had also been abandoned.  
  
“Let’s go through the house and sneak out the back or something,” Elliott suggested in a rushed whisper. They all nodded and followed his lead.  
  
They travelled off road for a while, and finally stopped when they were confident they were alone once again. It felt like they had walked for ages, with Adam’s wounded leg screaming at him nearly every step of the way.  
  
Once they had all taken the opportunity to catch their breath and drink some water, Kurt got out their first aid supplies. He looked from their meager kit of dwindling supplies to Adam’s leg and grimaced. “I really wish we had more supplies…and that I actually knew what I was doing.”  
  
“Anything you can do for it is better than nothing,” Adam said.  
  
“I guess,” Kurt responded, “Hold still, alright? This is gonna hurt.”  
  
Adam tensed and cried out as Kurt poured the peroxide on the wound, the liquid stinging like mad when it came into contact with the gash. Then, Kurt tried to close and cover the wound with tape, gauze, and bandages. He didn’t seem terribly confident in his handiwork.  
  
“That probably needs stitches, but there’s nothing we can really do about that,” Kurt said.  
  
Adam nodded. “I’m sure it’ll be alright. Thanks, love.”

  


A few moments later, Kurt had their map out and was studying it. He frowned. “Alright, nobody panic, but I have no idea where we are.”  
  
Sebastian and Elliott looked over each of his shoulders. “Well, I don’t know where we are, but as long as we can find one of these highways or roads on the map we should be alright, right?” Elliott suggested.  
  
Sebastian and Kurt nodded. “Makes perfect sense to me,” Adam said, rising with some difficulty from his brief resting place on the ground, “So, all we have to do is find one of the main roads again.”  
  
This proved far easier said than done. They spent the rest of that day travelling totally lost. The following day went slightly better in that they found what they thought was a main road on their map, but then they realized they had no way of knowing if they were going the right way, at least not without doing a _lot_ more walking. None of this was helped by Adam being hurt and slowing down the group as a direct result.  
  
On this day, they lost the meager remains of their medical supplies. They stopped briefly to rest and so that Kurt could tend to Adam’s wound, but no sooner had he gotten out their supplies than another hoard of zombies had shambled out of the woodwork. They fired on most of them, killing quite a few, but ultimately had to retreat again. A while down the road later, they realized they’d accidentally left the first aid kit behind.  
  
That wasn’t ideal, but Adam tried to remain positive and not to worry too much. Adam hoped that might rub off on Kurt, who was upset about it and definitely worrying. At any rate, they had to press on and hope for the best, hope they would all be okay and that they’d find their way again.

  


He couldn’t believe he’d fucked up and lost the rest of their medical supplies. Sure, by now they’d have likely run out, but _still_ that was one more day they could have used them.  
  
And he still wasn’t totally sure where they were or even if they were headed in the right direction. So much had happened in the last several days, and this area was so utterly unfamiliar, Kurt had completely lost his bearings. And the rest of their group wasn’t faring any better, especially not Adam.  
  
Adam was in a lot more pain than he was letting on. He clearly didn’t want everyone to worry. Well, tough. Kurt, at least, was gonna worry, and he would worry enough for all of them.  
  
The pain was evident in the limp Adam walked with, and in the way Kurt could see all the tension drain from his body when he was finally able to take weight off his injured leg, even if only for a short rest. And he kept apologizing for slowing everyone down, and at the same time was trying to act like he wasn’t suffering as much as he obviously was! It made Kurt a little crazy. As did the fact that Adam only seemed to get worse instead of better with each passing day.  
  
Stuck between the option of keeping the same, now gross, bandaging on his wound or leaving it open to the elements, Adam finally chose the latter. The cut still looked horrible, maybe even worse than when he’d gotten it, albeit less bloody and slightly less open. Actually it definitely looked worse. There was an angry red color surrounding the injury that hadn’t been there before; that wasn’t a good sign.  
  
They needed more supplies. They needed a safe place to stop and rest for more than just one night. They needed help from someone who knew what they were doing with the aforementioned medical supplies. They needed to figure out exactly where the hell they were and where the hell they were headed.  
  
Kurt took a deep breath and released it slowly to ease the spinning in his head. He couldn’t freak out right now. That wouldn’t solve any of their numerous and escalating problems.  
  
In the last day or so, Kurt noticed how awful Adam’s wound looked and that Adam seemed to be getting weaker. He obviously didn’t feel well—even if he was trying his best to power through it and be positive, and he was warm to the touch. He probably had a fever because he probably had an infection.  
  
So, first things first, wherever the hell they were they had to find the necessary supplies to help Adam. At the very least, they needed to clean and cover the wound again, beyond that Kurt wasn’t sure what they could do, even if they found medicine none of them would know what medicine to give. And the idea that they would find someone who did know to help them was a pipe dream that he might as well just put out of his head.  
  
But rest would help. So, they needed to find somewhere safe to rest for several days to help Adam recover. Alright, that was their second goal then: find a safe place to crash.  
  
_Then_ , they could go back to worrying about being lost in who-knows-where, New Jersey in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.


	2. Chapter Two

Adam had never felt so poorly in his entire life, but his friends kept telling him he had to keep going or they’d never make it. He didn’t want to complain or make things any more difficult, but every so often a moan or groan or a similarly pitiful sound would escape him. He was so weak, and every inch of him was screaming.  
  
He kept stumbling, and it took all the strength Kurt, Elliott, and Sebastian had to keep him upright and moving forward. Moving forward, walking a straight line, basic balance and coordination, it was all such a hardship. More than it should have been.  
  
The zombies were a bit like that, weren’t they? Always staggering and stumbling all about. Always moaning or making some sort of animalistic sound. Maybe it felt this awful to be one of them. Maybe… Oh God.  
  
No… Adam stumbled again, and this time he went all the way down. He could feel tears forming in his eyes. Did zombies cry?  
  
“Adam!” Kurt was trying to help him up. “Come on, baby, we have to keep going. We’re so close now.”  
  
Did zombies understand English? Did zombies understand anything? Did zombies know they were zombies?  
  
“Adam,” Kurt kept repeating his name. He rolled Adam onto his back and placed a hand on his face. “Adam, honey, can you hear me? Look at me.” He kept repeating Adam’s name.  
  
Adam’s eyes finally found Kurt’s. “Kurt,” he cried in a small, weak voice, almost like a child’s, “Kurt…”  
  
“Oh, Adam, oh thank God, oh my God, you scared me so bad. You scared all of us so bad. Can you move? Can you get back up?”  
  
“Kurt, I don’t wanna be a zombie,” Adam continued, crying pitifully.  
  
Kurt looked at him strangely. “What? Why are you saying that?”  
  
“I don’t,” Adam answered simply, shaking his head.  
  
“No, honey, I mean why are you saying that right _now_. There aren’t any zombies, and you haven’t been bitten by one.” Kurt’s voice was so reassuring, and Adam wanted so badly to believe him.  
  
“He’s out of it, Kurt,” Sebastian’s less reassuring voice cut in, “He’s out of his gourd; the fever is frying his brain. He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”  
  
Adam couldn’t follow everything they said to each other in the ensuing argument, but he responded to the one thing he heard that stuck, “I do _so_ know what I’m saying.”  
  
“Adam, honey, shhhhh,” Kurt responded, trying to settle him down.  
  
“I do though,” Adam protested weakly, “Please, Kurt, you have to help me.”  
  
“What do you want me to do, Adam?” Kurt asked.  
  
“I’m turning into one of them, or I am one of them already…” Adam was so tired; speaking was becoming more difficult. Thinking straight was almost impossible.  
  
“‘One of them’? Adam, I don’t understand.”  
  
“One of them… one of them— zombies. Kurt, please…”  
  
“Adam, listen to me. Look at me. You’re not a zombie; you’re not becoming a zombie. You got hurt, remember? You got hurt, and now you’re very sick, and we’re trying to get you to the hospital.” Kurt was crying. Oh God, how Adam hated to see him cry. “Do you understand?”  
  
“Kurt, no. No, love, please don’t cry.” He needed to hold Kurt in his arms and make whatever was wrong okay.  
  
“Adam, what are you doing?” Kurt fell on top of him. Well, he hadn’t meant to do that, but he could still hold onto Kurt like this, even if it hurt his own achy body a bit.  
  
“Don’t be upset, love,” Adam said, “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Kurt,” Sebastian said in a surprisingly gentle tone, “I think we need to have a talk.”  
  
Yes! Perfect! That might improve everyone’s spirits! Have a chat, a nice little chat, and perhaps some tea. Now where had he put that tea…? As Adam began to mentally rummage through his old apartment, he faded out of consciousness.

  


“Kurt, I don’t think Adam’s gonna make it,” Sebastian said, “I promise I’m not trying to be an ass here, but there’s just no better, non-blunt way to put that.”  
  
“No! No! We can’t— we can’t give up on him! No!” Kurt cried hysterically, “He’ll make it! He’ll make it! We can’t leave him! We can’t give up! We can’t!”  
  
“Kurt, I don’t think Seb was saying anything about giving up or leaving Adam,” Elliott said, “Were you?”  
  
“I, uh, yeah, actually,” Sebastian responded a bit sheepishly.  
  
“No!” Kurt disentangled himself from his unconscious lover’s arms and sprang at Sebastian.  
  
Sebastian took several hurried steps back, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry, okay? I really, _really_ am. I liked Adam, and I don’t want—”  
  
“Don’t you _dare_ ,” Kurt cut him off. “Don’t you dare start talking about him as if he isn’t still here! He’s still _alive_ , and as long as he’s still alive, I will do whatever it takes to keep him alive, even if I have to drag him to the hospital by myself!” Sebastian looked down at the ground and seemed ashamed. Kurt continued, “Now, am I gonna have to do that or are you two gonna help me? Because I swear to God, I will do it alone if I have to, and if that’s the case, I don’t ever want to see either of you ever again, especially _you_ , Sebastian Smythe.”  
  
Elliott approached Kurt with raised hands, and Kurt could see now in his eyes that he had been crying. “I’ve got your back, Kurt,” he said, “And Adam’s.” He offered an embrace and Kurt was briefly torn between taking it or continuing to glare at Sebastian. He made his decision and pulled his friend tightly into his arms.  
  
“You’re right, Kurt,” Sebastian said finally, “We have to try, I guess. Adam would do the same for us, so it’s only right... I’m sorry for even suggesting it.” After a poignant pause, he looked over at Adam’s prone figure and added, “But Goddamn, if one of us had to go down, why did it have to be like the biggest guy?”

  


Kurt knew the others were probably getting tired. Hell, he knew by all rights he should have been, were it not for the adrenaline coursing through him. They couldn’t stop though, not now. Adam was counting on them, his life was literally in their hands.  
  
Between the three of them, they had managed to carry Adam a great distance. Adam drifted in and out of consciousness, occasionally waking up in a confused state. It absolutely broke Kurt’s heart to see him like this.  
  
They had reached what appeared to be a residential area in the limits of a city when night fell. They paused, setting Adam down as gently as they could on the sidewalk. They each drank their share of water, which they were now running dangerously low on.  
  
Kurt placed a hand on Adam’s forehead to find he was still burning up. They had to cool him down somehow or he wouldn’t… Kurt’s mouth formed a tight line and his brow knitted. With speed and determination, he began removing Adam’s clothes until he was down to his boxers.  
  
“Uh, Kurt?” Sebastian began.  
  
“Don’t even start,” Kurt cut him off, assuming there would be some kind of lewd remark coming, “We need to get him cooled down. We should’ve done this sooner.”  
  
Elliott grabbed Adam’s clothes and put them in his bag. “Good idea, Kurt. We should probably see if we can get some water in him, too, before we start moving again.”  
  
Kurt nodded. He leaned down and whispered to Adam. “Adam, honey, wake up.” Adam stirred but didn’t otherwise respond. “Please wake up, Adam.”  
  
With a groan, he slowly opened his eyes. “Mum, I don’t wanna go to school today. Can I please stay home?” His brow furrowed in confusion when he found himself to be a grown man lying on the sidewalk wearing nothing but his boxers instead of a young boy in bed in his childhood home. Kurt helped him as he tried to sit up. “Where am I?” He shivered. “I’m so cold.” He looked down at his own body. “Where’d my clothes go?”  
  
Kurt placed a hand on Adam’s face and directed his gaze towards him. “You’re burning up actually. You’ve got a fever. I know it feels like you’re cold, but really you’re not. Now, you need to try to drink some water, okay? Are you thirsty?”  
  
Adam nodded, and when Kurt pressed the water bottle to his lips he drank from it slowly. “Thank you,” he said.  
  
“We should probably get going again,” Sebastian said, “Can he walk at all?”  
  
“I dunno, Seb. I think we moved faster just carrying him, to be honest,” Elliott remarked.  
  
“I don’t think it made that much difference, but my arms could use a break, if that’s at all possible,” Sebastian responded.  
  
“I don’t think there’s any way,” Kurt said to them. Still, he asked Adam, “Do you think you could get up and walk with us if we help you?”  
  
Adam was staring off and hadn’t seemed to hear the question so Kurt made sure to get his attention before repeating it. Finally, Adam nodded and said, “I wanna get up. I’ll try to.”  
  
With great effort on all of their parts, they had managed to get Adam on his feet again, albeit on very wobbly legs. Kurt and Elliott were supporting his weight on each side, Kurt on his right and Elliott on his left. Sebastian followed behind them with his weapon in hand but his arms hanging loosely at his sides.  
  
There didn’t seem to be anyone, living or living-dead on this particular street now. Kurt wasn’t sure whether he should be relieved by that or not. People could be trouble, but then again they could also be help. And they desperately needed help.  
  
Although, at least there were no zombies. That was definitely a blessing.  
  
“Hey, Kurt?” Elliott asked, breaking through his thoughts, “You know a lot about cars right?”  
  
“What? I, uh, I guess so,” Kurt responded, confused and caught off guard by the randomness of the question, “I mean, I don’t know if I’d say a lot—”  
  
“Well, compared to me, Seb, and I’m assuming Adam. You’re an expert,” Elliott continued, “I was just wondering if you maybe knew how to hotwire a car.”  
  
“Just because my dad’s a mechanic doesn’t mean I know everything about cars,” Kurt responded, a bit more harshly than he probably should have.  
  
“Okay, but do you?” Sebastian butted in.  
  
Kurt sighed. “Dad showed me how to, but I’ve never actually tried to do it myself. I have no idea if I can or not.” Still, if he _could_. An automobile would be an absolute godsend.  
  
Elliott stopped and almost sent Kurt and Adam stumbling. “Sorry,” he said, “It’s just—look, in that driveway, there’s a car just sitting there… Maybe we could…?”  
  
Elliott was quite possibly a genius. Kurt couldn’t believe they hadn’t thought of trying to do this sooner, even if he was highly suspicious of his own abilities to even do what Elliott had in mind. Something else potentially wrong with the plan came to Kurt’s mind. “How do we know no one’s living there or using it?”  
  
“Well, there aren’t any lights on anywhere in that house,” Elliott responded, “At least, none that I can see.”  
  
“I’ll go check it out,” Sebastian volunteered, “In the meantime, get to hotwiring, if there _is_ anyone home, I’m sure I can persuade them to let us borrow it anyway.”  
  
That lead back to problem number one. “You guys are assuming I can actually do this at all,” Kurt said, “I mean, I’m willing to try, but I’ve never actually done this before. My dad just showed me how like forever ago.”  
  
“Kurt,” Adam said, “You can do anything you set your mind to. I believe in you.”  
  
Well, if his sick, delirious boyfriend was trying to give him motivational speeches he certainly had to _try_ hotwiring that car, even if he wasn’t entirely sure Adam knew _what_ exactly he had been trying to help motivate Kurt to do. Besides, if he could manage to do it successfully, having a vehicle would help them tremendously. “Alright, alright,” Kurt said finally,” C’mon, let’s take a look at it.”


	3. Chapter Three

Kurt was the most amazing man in the world. Of this, Adam was certain. He was gorgeous, super smart, so talented in several different areas of expertise, so kind, and so caring, and so fiercely determined once he set his mind on something.  
  
Kurt swore loudly about something as he worked. Yep, even when he spoke like a sailor he was the most beautiful creature Adam had ever beheld.  
  
Adam was lying cramped up in the backseat with his head in Elliott’s lap, wishing it were Kurt’s instead. Sebastian was in the front passenger seat, watching Kurt work and offering whatever help Kurt asked of him (which presently was just keeping a flashlight shone where Kurt was trying to work.)  
  
Adam shuddered suddenly, causing Elliott to jump slightly. He couldn’t stop shivering. He was so cold, and they wouldn’t even let him cover up at all.  
  
“Just hang on, man,” Elliott murmured to him, placing a comforting hand on his shaking shoulder, “You’re gonna be okay. Just hang in there, okay?”  
  
Adam nodded. Rather than meet his friend’s gaze, he stared upward at the ceiling,which was moving curiously. The whole car felt like it was spinning, and Adam was nervous to try looking anywhere else, lest he get sick.  
  
“Hey, if we get this thing going maybe we’ll be able to listen to some music on the stereo,” Elliott suggested.  
  
“Pretty sure all the radio stations are down,” Sebastian responded.  
  
“Actually, we _could_ see if anyone’s using the radio to communicate,” Kurt said, “That might be a good idea.”  
  
Adam’s idea wasn’t half as good as that, but he still tried. “We could sing if there’s no music.”  
  
“Yeah, we could do that,” Elliott encouraged him.  
  
“God, you guys are so gay,” Sebastian said.  
  
“Yeah...we are...so? What’s that got to do with anything?” Adam was confused.  
  
“Seb, hush,” Kurt said, “And keep that light steady, will you? I think I’ve almost got this figured out.”  
  
“Sebastian, you’re gay, too,” Adam continued.  
  
“Not as gay as you,” Sebastian replied.  
  
“Seb, I’m pretty sure you’ve sucked a lot more dick than either me or Adam,” Elliott returned playfully.  
  
“Would you guys knock it off!” Kurt admonished them, “Adam’s confused, and he’s not gonna get all your messing around.”  
  
“I’m not confused,” Adam responded, “I’m gay. You of all people should know that.”  
  
Sebastian and Elliott laughed rather uproariously at that, which Adam didn’t really understand because he hadn’t meant it as a joke. Still, their laughter was infectious, so he couldn’t help but laugh a bit himself.  
  
“Adam, that’s not what I meant! Seb, the _light_!” Kurt shouted over their racket. Not long after, the car engine sounded, and everyone cheered. The ceiling danced excitedly.  
  
“Alright! Kurt, you’re fucking awesome!” Elliott said.  
  
“Yeah! ...so amazing, Kurt.” Adam wanted to tell Kurt he was the most incredible man in the world, but all the laughter and the cheering had really worn him out. “Kurt, you’re so brilliant...And incredible… and I just… I love you so much…”  
  
“That was pretty kickass,” Sebastian said.  
  
“Thanks, you guys, and I love you, too, Adam,” Kurt responded.  
  
“I can drive if you wanna ride back here with Adam,” Elliott offered.  
  
Adam desperately hoped Kurt would take him up on that, but he found himself unable to voice that. He was going to pass out again, no matter how hard he struggled against it.

  


Adam was drowning, and it seemed like the harder he struggled, the further he descended into the dark, icy depths. He was so cold, and his body ached deep into his bones; he was so tired. Part of him felt tempted to give up and give in.  
  
But then terror seized him. He didn’t want to die, and _definitely_ not like this. He struggled and fought with all his might, and he gasped for air. In doing so, he took in a lungful of water. Oh God, he was going to die! A current ripped at his failing body, suddenly dragging him away.  
  
Suddenly, there was a light in the dark, a small and distant, but powerful source of the warmth and the life that he so desperately needed. He flailed towards it.  
  
He could hear a voice. It was a beautiful voice, and he soon recognized vaguely a melody. It was singing, beckoning him onward. It was the most beautiful voice he’d ever heard, and slowly but surely as it pulled him out of the depths, he recognized its source and the song it sang.  
  
“Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting,” Kurt sang, “Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear.” His fingers ran gently through Adam’s hair.  
  
Relief flooded through Adam along with intense affection. He was still here with Kurt, with their friends. He smiled up at Kurt.  
  
“Here comes the sun,” they all sang, and Adam joined them quietly, “Here comes the sun, and I say it’s all right.”  
  
Kurt seemed surprised but pleased to hear Adam. He looked down at Adam with such love and affection.  
  
“Here comes the sun...Here comes the sun. It’s all right. It’s all right.”

  


“That seemed very appropriate,” Sebastian commented, “Considering the sun’s about to come up.”  
  
“Well, I had thought of that actually when I suggested it,” Kurt responded a bit sheepishly, “but it’s one of mine and Adam’s favorites.”  
  
“It’s a good song,” Elliott said, yawning.  
  
“It’s a bloody good song,” Adam agreed.  
  
“‘Bloody good’, eh?” Kurt said, slightly amused at the emphatic word choice, “Somebody woke up in a mood.”  
  
“A good mood,” Adam replied, “I’m happy that I woke up.”  
  
“Damn, I’d be happy to go to sleep,” Sebastian said. To Elliott, he said, not at all for the first time, “C’mon, you need to pull over and let me drive for a while before you pass out at the wheel and kill us all.”  
  
“Okay, but you literally just said you wanted to go to sleep,” Elliott retorted.  
  
“So? Pretty sure we all do, but obviously we’re not…” Kurt tuned out the rest of what Sebastian said as well as whatever Elliott said next, deciding to let them bicker uninterrupted for a while.  
  
He returned his attention to Adam who still lay with his head in Kurt’s lap. He placed a hand to Adam’s forehead again, and he tried to mask the worry from showing on his face. Adam was still way too hot. “Happy you woke up, huh? I’d think you’d wanna sleep through this as much as possible.”  
  
Adam shook his head, and tears started to shine in his otherwise dulled blue eyes. “I mean I’m glad to be alive. I didn’t know if I’d wake up. I still don’t—”  
  
“Shhhh.” Kurt tried to soothe him, and he couldn’t deny that his attempts to quiet Adam also came from a selfish place. He couldn’t face the all too distinct possibility that Adam could be taken from him swiftly and suddenly. It had never felt more real before, and it hurt him so badly that he felt like he could maybe literally die from the pain. It felt like his heart was literally broken… And that was just from _imagining_ losing Adam.  
  
“I don’t wanna leave you, Kurt,” Adam said, clinging to him, “I love you so much.”  
  
“I know, love, I know,” Kurt responded, and as much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he wished Adam would be quiet again. He couldn’t handle this. He just wasn’t strong enough. “I love you, too. So, so much.”  
  
Adam started to shiver again, really violently, and he made a pitiful, whimpering sound. Kurt gently stroked his head, moving his hair back away from his forehead, running his fingers delicately through the blond curls. “Shhh, it’s okay, baby. Just rest. We have to be getting close to a hospital by now.” God, he hoped.  
  
“Kurt, I—” Adam’s voice was barely above a whisper now, “I dreamt that I was dying but you saved me. Thank you for saving me, love.”  
  
God damn it, it wasn’t fair. Here this sweet, wonderful man was thanking him for saving his life in a goddamn dream, and Kurt couldn’t do anything for him to save his actual, real life. If there was a God and Kurt had been wrong about His nonexistence for all of these years then He was a cruel, sadistic bastard. Adam Crawford didn’t deserve this, not any of it, and Kurt could see no good reason for it to be happening to them.  
  
His boyfriend’s quiet, shaking voice cut through Kurt’s furious thoughts. “I’m scared, Kurt,” Adam confessed.  
  
“I know, love,” Kurt replied, “I am, too.”


	4. Chapter Four

It felt more like they were on a boat than in a car at times. Maybe that had been why Adam had dreamt he was drowning. A sudden wave seemed to rock the boat dramatically and following that, Sebastian barked, “Alright, that’s it! Pull over. I’m driving.”  
  
The boat/car came to a stop, and sure enough a weary Elliott got out and swapped places with a probably equally weary but much more stubborn Sebastian. Soon after, their ship left its docking and resumed its journey.  
  
“Sorry, guys,” Elliott apologized.  
  
“It’s not your fault,” Adam said.  
  
“Adam’s right. You’re just tired. We understand,” Kurt agreed.  
  
“Yeah, but we’re all tired,” Elliott argued, “Seb’s tired, and now he’s driving.”  
  
“Yeah because I’m not about to fall asleep,” Sebastian explained, “if I start nodding off somebody else will have to take over.” After a pause, he added, in a softer tone, “It’s okay, seriously. If you need to sleep, just go on, we’ll be fine.”  
  
“We could sing again,” Elliott suggested, but sleep was heavy in his voice no matter how hard he seemed to fight it, “Something to keep us all awake.” He started to hum something Adam didn’t recognize, but he soon lost the tune entirely. Within minutes, he was completely asleep.  
  
“Poor fellow,” Adam commented.  
  
“That’s really something coming from you, you know,” Sebastian responded.  
  
Adam gave a slight chuckle. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Good point.” The three of them grew quiet for just a moment before Adam added, “He wouldn’t be in such a state if it weren’t for me, none of you would. I know you’re all exhausted...Just… thank you, all of you, I’ll have to tell Elliott again when he wakes up, if I can, but thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I really do appreciate it… More than I can express right now.”  
  
He wasn’t as cold as he had been before, or maybe he’d just gotten used to the cold. He still shivered uncontrollably though. He closed his eyes as a beam of sunlight found his face through the car’s windows.  
  
“Hey, I’ve only known you for a few months, and I’m pretty damn sure you’d do the same for me,” Sebastian said, “And by the way, _if_ the situation ever arises, I’m expecting you to now.”  
  
“Understood,” Adam replied.  
  
Kurt made no response, but his hand resumed its previous occupation of stroking Adam’s head. Kurt was upset, but he obviously didn’t want anyone to know. Even with clarity being a fleeting thing for Adam presently, he knew that. He was pretty sure he would always be able to read Kurt, no matter how out of his head he went.  
  
“It looks like there’s an old convenience store up ahead,” Sebastian said, “I’m gonna stop there and see if they have a city map and maybe something to eat.”  
  
“Good idea,” Kurt said, “Be careful.”  
  
Their ship docked once more, and Sebastian left. “When was the last time we ate anyway?” Adam asked curiously.  
  
Kurt considered it for a moment. “I—I don’t know. It’s been long enough that I don’t remember.” Concern taking over, he asked, “Why? Are you hungry?”  
  
Adam shook his head. “No.” He supposed he should have been. He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten anything, but he had no appetite to speak of at all at the moment. Actually, quite the opposite; the idea of food made him feel a bit sick. More than anything, he felt thirsty. “Could go for a drink though, if we have enough.”  
  
“We do,” Kurt said, “Although, hopefully, Sebastian will grab us some bottles of water or something, otherwise we’ll be out soon.”  
  
Sure enough, when Sebastian returned he brought with him more drinks, along with some snacks, and a map of whatever city they had found themselves in (which was apparently in Pennsylvania...Adam wasn’t sure if he was the only one who didn’t recall crossing that state line.) This was good because while he was away, Kurt and Adam had finished off their share of what water was left, and the group was nearly out (just as Kurt had predicted.)  
  
Adam had elected to stay sitting up for a while, but he sat as close to Kurt as he could without actually sitting in his lap. He hoped Kurt didn’t find his neediness bothersome, but Kurt was his lifeline right now, the only thing that was keeping him tethered, and he desperately needed that. He kept feeling like he was going to float away… or worse, start sinking into the dark, depths again. To combat the panic starting to set in at these thoughts, he placed his head on Kurt’s shoulder and breathed him in deeply.  
  
Kurt briefly turned his head away from the map he was trying to read to kiss the top of Adam’s head, a gesture which sent precious warmth all the way through Adam. An unwrapped granola bar sat on Kurt’s lap, but Kurt showed no interest in it. Adam eyed it with concern. They really needed to make it to the hospital and end this whole mad situation for Kurt’s sake as much as for Adam’s own. Otherwise his love was going to kill himself. Just the thought of that made Adam want to hold onto Kurt tighter, so he placed an arm around him.  
  
As they drove onward and Sebastian and Kurt talked directions and navigation, Adam felt the familiar tug of sleep once again. He fought against it, his previous experience with it leaving him frightened. He was so afraid that if he closed his eyes he might just slip away and never open them again. But oh… he was so tired. He held onto Kurt and reminded himself of what he was fighting for.

  


Adam was lost at sea, adrift in the open ocean and barely hanging on. The sun beat down on him yet he didn’t feel its heat. He was so desperately thirsty. He knew he couldn’t drink the seawater, but something compelled him to do it anyway.  
  
Suddenly, everything shifted, and he found himself on dry land. The ocean was soon forgotten entirely. One thing remained constant: he was incredibly weak and he was alone.  
  
Or well… he wasn’t alone for very long unfortunately. Zombies began to approach him on all sides, and soon he was in the center of a giant ring of death. “Oh God…” he breathed. They were closing in on him, and he seemed utterly powerless against them. “No. No, I don’t want to die. Please.” He wasn’t sure who he was pleading to. God maybe? Certainly not the zombies.  
  
In the distance, he heard the voice of an angel calling his name. Wait, no, not exactly… it was Kurt, but he supposed it was a reasonable mix up to make, especially in these dire circumstances. Kurt kept calling to him, but death personified kept drawing ever closer.  
  
He had to fight. “No!” He got up from the ground and swung his fists towards the horrible beings approaching him. “No! I don’t want to die! No!” His body screamed at him, the pain of his wound and of the illness it caused.  
  
He wasn’t wearing clothes anymore. Why was that? That didn’t matter; he didn’t have time to question it. He was overwhelmed by his enemies.  
  
Still, Kurt’s voice grew louder, closer. “Kurt, help me,” Adam said to him, “I don’t want to be taken away from you, my love.” He could swear he felt Kurt touch his face.  
  
“Adam! Wake up!” Adam awoke with a start to find Kurt trying to rouse him. He must have looked rather confused as Kurt said,” You wouldn’t wake up, and you kept talking and whimpering. It’s okay. Whatever it was, it was just a dream. You’re awake.”  
  
“I woke up,” Adam said, “I’m still here.” What a relief that was.  
  
“That’s right,” Kurt said, “And it gets better still, we’re almost to the nearest hospital. Hopefully, we can take better care of you there, where there are better supplies. Maybe if we’re _really_ lucky it won’t be totally abandoned, and we can get some help.” Adam knew Kurt wasn’t holding out much hope for that, and he couldn’t say he blamed him.  
  
They had entered into some rough waters, and the turbulence wasn’t agreeing with Adam. He didn’t remember if he’d ever been seasick before, but he must have been now.  
  
No, wait. That was wrong. He was in a car; it just didn’t feel like one right now. So that meant… he was carsick. He never got carsick though. The walls of the car seemed to breathe, and the floorboards pulsed, and all of that disoriented him further. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.  
  
“Adam? What’s wrong?” Kurt asked, his hand gently touched Adam’s shoulder.  
  
Adam shuddered. He wanted to answer Kurt, but before he could find the words he got sick instead. He groaned and clutched his middle, still doubled over from throwing up, feeling nauseated and upset. He hadn’t meant to make a mess of the car; he didn’t want to.  
  
“Oh my God! No, not in the car!” Sebastian exclaimed, quickly followed by a gag.  
  
“Sorry,” Adam said, “I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry. Really, really sorry.” And he meant it, too. He felt terrible.  
  
Kurt rubbed soothing circles on his back. “It’s okay, baby. It was an accident.”  
  
Sometime in all the confusion, Elliott had apparently woken up. “What’s going on? Is Adam alright?”  
  
“I got sick in the car,” Adam explained miserably, “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” Elliott replied, “I’m sure you couldn’t help it.” To Sebastian, he asked, “Are we there yet?”  
  
“Well, lucky for you, we _are_ ,” Sebastian said, “Otherwise I’d throw you out just for asking that question.”  
  
Adam was distressed to hear that being thrown out was a possibility, given what he’d just done, but before he could say anything about it, the car stopped, and Kurt was trying to help him out of it. He felt like a bit like he was walking on stilts, and the sun was way too bright.  
  
“Alright, c’mon,” Kurt said, guiding him along while helping him support himself, “let’s get inside.”

  


They had made it. They had finally fucking made it. There was hope, even if it was just a shred of it. It was a shred that Kurt would cling to desperately.  
  
Immediately upon entering the building, they noticed the lights were all on, and they thought they heard movement and speech of others. Kurt braced himself, unsure of what to expect, and he noticed Elliott and Sebastian do the same.  
  
A small, young lady in burgundy scrubs who appeared to be unarmed soon approached them. “Hey,” she greeted, in a manner that was friendly but still a bit distant, “Welcome to the St. Joseph Medical Center Safe House. According to our cameras and our guards, you aren’t zombies, but I’m required to check if you’re looters or otherwise dangerous. So, are you?”  
  
“No, no, we don’t want any trouble,” Kurt answered quickly, “My—Adam—o-our friend is hurt, really bad. He’s sick.”  
  
Adam seemed to nod in agreement. He swayed on his feet, and Kurt and Elliott barely managed to keep him upright.  
  
Without another word, the young woman sped away, and before long she had returned with two more people, a tall man probably in his forties and a shorter, slightly heavyset woman who looked to be in her fifties. They had with them a gurney, which they soon helped Adam onto.  
  
The man shined a light in Adam’s eyes, which Adam clearly did not enjoy, and soon began checking him all over, paying special attention to Adam’s infected wound, which also elicited clear discomfort from Adam. At first, the older woman tried to speak with Adam, but quickly she seemed to realize he was in no state to give her many coherent answers. So, she then turned her attentions to Kurt, Elliott, and Sebastian.  
  
“How long ago did he sustain that injury?” she asked.  
  
“It’s been about a week, I think,” Kurt replied, “We noticed some signs of infection several days ago, and it just kept getting worse from there.”  
  
“How long has he had the high fever?” she continued.  
  
“Well, it started with a fever, not that high. He just felt sort of hot and said he felt like he might be feverish,” Kurt explained, “But then about two days ago, I think, it started getting higher and he got a lot weaker and he’s been really delirious and confused and tired a lot.”  
  
“Okay,” the woman said, “Do you know if he has any pre-existing medical condition or is prone to infection?”  
  
Kurt shook his head. “Not to my knowledge. He’s usually a really healthy person actually. This has been something of a shock, really.”  
  
Suddenly, Kurt heard Adam yelling, and he and the older woman turned their heads sharply. “No! No! Stop! I can’t—! I need—!” Adam was trying to sit up and also shove the other man away.  
  
Kurt ran over to him. “Adam! Stop! He’s trying to help you!”  
  
“He’s gonna take me away,” Adam explained, panting from the exertion, “he’s gonna take me away…”  
  
He didn’t need to finish his statement for Kurt to understand. Kurt looked at the man and then at the older woman and explained, “He doesn’t want to be separated from me.”  
  
“Well, you can come with us then,” the other man said a bit gruffly, “but we need to take him and start treating him right away.”  
  
“Okay,” Kurt said with a nod. He took Adam’s hand and said to him, “It’s alright, Adam. I’m right here; I’m not going anywhere. Now, you’ve got to let these people take care of you, okay?”  
  
Adam nodded and visibly relaxed. “Okay.” He gave Kurt’s hand a squeeze. “And you’ll stay with me?”  
  
“Yes, of course, I will,” Kurt affirmed, “I promise I will.”  
  
“I love you,” Adam said.  
  
“I love you, too,” Kurt returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There probably are many real places named St. Joseph Medical Center or something very near that (I know of at least two hospitals that have Joseph's name in them somehow lol), but this one is fake. I just took the most generic sounding hospital name I could think of. I really don't like coming up with fake names. lol  
> Also, I hope the very existence of this Safe House isn't too Deus Ex Machina-y, but the idea of having a place like this in the series at some point is one I've been wanting to do from pretty much the beginning and it worked best in this story. Also, I put the boys through hell in this one and wanted to cut them a darn break!  
> As always, any and all reads/kudos/feedback are very much appreciated!


	5. Chapter Five

The small girl stayed with Sebastian and Elliott while Kurt and the others left with Adam. She looked like she was about to say something, so Sebastian watched her expectantly.  
  
“If you two want, I could show you around,” she said at last, “or at least show you the cafeteria, the showers, and some beds. You guys look like you’ve been through hell.”  
  
“Gee, thanks,” Sebastian replied dryly. Inside, his body was practically screaming at the notion of much needed food, hygiene, and rest.  
  
“Hey, I call ‘em like I see ‘em,” the girl said with a small grin, “I’m Ashley by the way.”  
  
“Sebastian,” he introduced himself, extending his hand.  
  
“And I’m Elliott,” Elliott said warmly, and Sebastian couldn’t help but notice Ashley’s reaction. She was definitely charmed by Elliott and definitely checking him out. Not that it mattered. Sebastian wasn’t even sure why he was taking any sort of mental notes on the situation. He shook his head. Damn, he was tired.  
  
Ashley turned and led them down a different corridor than the one they others had gone down. As she went, she told them more about the place, “When all hell broke loose, some of us decided it might be safer to stay here than to go home or leave town. Some of us got our families and brought them here. We’ve taken in the occasional traveller, although we haven’t been getting too many of them. You guys are the first visitors we’ve had in awhile.”  
  
“But we all take care of each other here, and everyone that can work has a job to do,” Ashley continued, “A lot of us are medical staff with at least some training and experience; I was actually a med student before everything went to hell. The man who took your friend, he’s Dr. Odom; he’s worked here for years, and the nurse with him that was Sandra Blair, and she’s worked here forever, too. They’re both really, really good at their jobs; your friend is in good hands.”  
  
“Good,” Elliott said, “that’s seriously such a relief.”  
  
“Yeah,” Sebastian said, looking around as he continued to follow them. This place seemed too good to be true. There had to be a catch, right? They couldn’t have seriously caught this good a break.  
  
Soon, the smell of food distracted him from his suspicions. It smelled like actual _real_ food, not junk from a convenience store, not stale bread and canned beans from their increasingly meager rations, but an honest to God cooked meal. It was all he could do to maintain his composure and not freak out and embarrass himself.  
  
There were quite a few people milling about the cafeteria when they entered. Ashley said a quick hello to a few of them as she ushered Sebastian and Elliott towards a bar where a few containers were being kept warm. Ashley also directed their attention to a large cooler containing drinks and a stand beside it containing snack foods and (more importantly) some fresh fruit.  
  
“We crashed the car, didn’t we?” Elliott asked him.  
  
“What?” Sebastian responded, startled and confused by this totally out of left field question.  
  
“We’re dead, right?” Elliott continued, “This is totally heaven.”  
  
Oh. Sebastian got it now. He rolled his eyes. What a dork. What a stupid, cute dork. “I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ve done enough good deeds to get into that place. This is real.” Elliott’s smile was contagious, and he found himself grinning broadly back at him and feeling intensely affectionate towards him in a way that should have been nauseating. Jesus, he really needed sleep.  
  
After food and a shower maybe. He could stay upright long enough for that, he hoped.

  


They had eaten, showered, and changed into some clean clothes offered to them by the kind people of this place (apparently, they had a whole hoard of extra clothes for just such occasions.) Soon after all of that, Seb had crashed. Almost as soon as he had been shown a bed, he had fallen into it, and within no time he was completely out.  
  
Resting in a bed was tempting, but Elliott had already had some sleep, and he wanted to see how Adam was doing, if he could. So, he watched Sebastian’s even breathing for a few seconds more, and then he left their room.  
  
It took him a while to find Adam and Kurt again. This place was massive, and he kept getting lost in it.  
  
When Elliott finally had found them, Kurt almost didn’t notice him enter the room. He was sitting beside Adam’s bed and watching Adam with tired eyes. Not for the first time, Elliott felt deeply concerned for Kurt. He looked rough, and there was no delicate way to put that.  
  
Still, he did briefly turn and acknowledge Elliott. “Hey,” he said, “Where’s Seb?”  
  
“He is asleep, very asleep,” Elliott said, “Seriously, we won’t be hearing from him for a while. How’s he doing?” He gestured towards a sleeping Adam.  
  
“Better,” Kurt answered, “Not out of the woods, but much better. They got his fever down, and they cleaned and stitched his wound. They’re giving him antibiotics for the infection.”  
  
“Is he still—?” Elliott wasn’t sure how to ask.  
  
Kurt seemed to get it. “He was still kinda disoriented the last time I was able to really talk with him, but he didn’t seem as confused or delirious as he has been at times.” Kurt paused. “I’m hoping when he wakes up he’ll be his old self again.”  
  
“Yeah, hopefully,” Elliott said. Changing the subject, he added, “Hey, if you wanna grab some food or a shower or something I can stay with him.” Kurt desperately needed to do both of those things as well as get some sleep, but Elliott suspected he already knew what Kurt’s response would be.  
  
“Thanks, but I’d rather stay in here with him,” Kurt said, “At least until he wakes up again.” Elliott wasn’t sure for whose benefit it was that Kurt was staying. Adam had freaked earlier when they had almost been separated, but Elliott had a feeling there was more to it than that. He could see it in the way Kurt watched Adam even now. They had nearly lost Adam and that had obviously terrified Kurt.  
  
Elliott couldn’t blame him. Hell, almost losing Adam had scared him, too. Losing people was all too common and all too easy, but it never got any easier to deal with. If anything, it seemed to get harder. Elliott still had nightmares about what they had discovered in Paramus; he felt particularly ill-equipped to deal with losing a friend so soon after that.  
  
Kurt probably needed some company that was actually conscious, even if he didn’t seem to realize it. “Is it cool if I hang out in here with you guys for a while?” Elliott asked, pulling up a chair beside Kurt.  
  
“Yeah, that’s fine,” Kurt replied quickly.  
  
Elliott sat down. “I can’t believe we found this place...and we found it right when we needed it most.”  
  
“Mhm.” Kurt nodded, eyes never leaving Adam. “I’m just waiting to wake up and this to all be a dream.”  
  
“Yeah, me, too,” Elliott responded, “Seems pretty real though.” They were quiet again, then Elliott added, “It’s like everything we needed though...like an answered prayer.”  
  
Kurt finally looked at him again, his expression skeptical. “I didn’t know you bought into that stuff.”  
  
Elliott shrugged. “I don’t know, man. I think there’s gotta be some kinda higher power, even if I don’t know what it is. Maybe God. Maybe multiple gods. Maybe just a capital ‘S’ Something I’ve never heard of.”  
  
Kurt scoffed. “If that’s the case, why create the world just to destroy it? What’s the fucking point of that?” He returned his gaze to Adam, staring at the gentle rise and fall of his chest.  
  
“I don’t think it’s for us to understand,” Elliott replied, “But the way I see it, we’re still alive and kicking, places like this still exist, Adam didn’t die… Yeah, there’s a lot of destruction and a lot of loss, and it _fucking_ sucks so bad sometimes, but the world’s not totally destroyed.”  
  
Kurt seemed to consider it. Still, he commented, “And you think, what? _Prayer_ , prayer to God or to gods or to a-a ‘Capital ‘S’ Something’ has anything to do with that?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Elliott answered, “It might.”  
  
“Prayer is a waste of time,” Kurt said bitterly, “it doesn’t help.”  
  
“Maybe it doesn’t, but it doesn’t hurt either,” Elliott retorted, “And honestly? I do pray sometimes. Usually when things are really bad.” He’d done it a lot recently actually. Things had been as “really bad” as they’d ever been in recent times. Sometimes so bad Elliott wasn’t sure how he was going to get through it all. He continued, “I don’t know if it is really gonna change anything or not when I do it, but it helps me feel like… I don’t know, like-like there’s something I can do even if it’s just that, like maybe there’s hope or something. That’s not a waste of time to me.” He paused. “Although, for what it’s worth, when things were getting really bad with Adam, I prayed for him, for all of us, and here we are. I don’t know. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”  
  
“Hm.” Kurt made no other response, and once again, he seemed to consider Elliott’s words. After several long seconds of silence, he said, “Adam didn’t die.” A small smile formed on his face.  
  
Elliott stayed with Kurt and Adam for probably close to thirty minutes, mostly spent in silence but occasionally punctuated with small conversation. Finally, Kurt couldn’t fight off his exhaustion anymore and nodded off. Elliott studied him with concern before getting up to leave. He placed a gentle hand on Kurt’s shoulder and quietly said, “It’s gonna be okay, Kurt. Adam didn’t die.” And with that, he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In hindsight, I think it might've been a bit silly to tag for "religious discussion" when it really only applies to one relatively short scene, but it's a scene I guess I felt was an important one for multiple reasons, and it involves themes that are entirely likely to come up again, so there's that.  
> We're starting to wind this one down now! The final chapter should be posted very soon. Thanks so much for all the wonderful response this fic has gotten!


	6. Chapter Six

Kurt was fighting falling asleep again when Adam finally awoke. He watched him closely, hoping he was himself again and no longer delirious. Adam looked around himself, seeming a little confused about where he was for a moment. When his eyes landed on Kurt, he smiled. “Hello,” he said.  
  
Kurt couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey,” he returned, “How ya feeling?”  
  
“I’m better, I think,” Adam answered.  
  
“That’s great,” Kurt said, “you had us all really worried.”  
  
“I had myself pretty worried, too; I’ll be honest,” Adam responded. Looking around again, he asked, “Where are Elliott and Sebastian?”  
  
“Oh, they’re probably asleep. I don’t know where in the building they are, but they’ve apparently been given places to sleep,” Kurt replied.  
  
“Have you been here the whole time? All that time I was asleep?” Suddenly, Adam studied him closely.  
  
Kurt knew he was likely in for some concerned nagging, but he couldn’t lie to Adam. “Yeah,” he answered, “although, I did get up to pee once, and I also fell asleep for a while; I don’t know exactly how long I was out though.”  
  
“Sweetheart, you didn’t have to stay there all that time,” Adam told him.  
  
“I didn’t want you to wake up and not have me there. I promised you I wouldn’t leave you,” Kurt explained.  
  
“I don’t think you’re obligated to keep a promise you make to me when I’m half-mad with fever,” Adam said.  
  
“Well, I do,” Kurt argued, “You needed me here, so I stayed here.” He paused, considering keeping the rest of his motives to himself. Finally, he confessed, “Besides, I, um, if I kept my eyes on you then I knew you were still okay and still…” He looked down when he couldn’t quite find the words to end the sentence. “Well, y’know…”  
  
“Yeah, I do,” Adam said quietly, “Thanks for staying with me and for taking care of me before.”  
  
Kurt placed a hand on Adam’s. Adam was alive. Adam was probably going to be okay. He still couldn’t quite believe it. It was...a miracle? Kurt had never believed in those. Then again, he’d never believed in God either, and yet when Adam was dying Kurt had cursed Him. This whole ordeal had his mind going in strange places. His earlier conversation with Elliott was suddenly remembered, and he still wasn’t sure what to make of that whole discussion.  
  
He shook his head slightly. “We’re just lucky we found this place when we did.” He didn’t want to think about how close he had come to losing Adam, so naturally it was every other thought in his mind. He squeezed Adam’s hand. “I’m just so glad you’re okay, that you’re gonna be okay.” _Probably_ , probably gonna be okay, but for right now that was good enough. He quickly dashed his other hand across his eyes as tears began to spill from them.  
  
“Me, too,” Adam said, “I’m not ready to leave you. Not sure if I ever will be, but I’m certainly not right now.”  
  
Remembering that the last time he’d said it Adam hadn’t been completely himself, Kurt told him, “I love you so much.”  
  
“I love you, too,” Adam responded. Then, after they’d both gone quiet for a moment, he added, “Even if you did steal my clothes.”  
  
“Hey! You were burning up! I didn’t know what else to do!” Kurt said, defensively, “And you kept complaining about being cold and wanting to know where your clothes went and why you couldn’t wear them, which made me feel terrible!”  
  
“I know, love,” Adam said, “Sorry for giving you such a hard time. It was probably a good idea actually.”  
  
“I thought so,” Kurt responded.  
  
“Although, it must’ve made some sort of impression on my subconscious because I had a dream that you took my clothes and hid them from me, and I had to perform in front of the entire school in my pants,” Adam said.  
  
Kurt laughed. “Sorry I missed that.” They both had a laugh at that. Kurt felt more relaxed than he had in a long time, and certainly more relaxed than he had felt at any point since Adam got hurt.  
  
They grew quiet again, and sleep tugged on Kurt harder than ever before. He didn’t want to close his eyes. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of the man he loved or stop talking to him now that he was back to his old self. He didn’t want these moments of peace, safety, and genuine hope to end; he didn’t want to risk closing his eyes and opening them again to find it all gone or to find it had all been a dream. Still, he yawned, and his blinking grew longer and heavier, and it was getting harder to keep his thoughts together and coherent.  
  
“Go to sleep, love,” Adam told him at last, “you’re exhausted.” When Kurt stubbornly shook his head, Adam added, “I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”  
  
Kurt nodded, and very soon he was sleeping soundly.

  


It was early the following morning when Adam was reunited with the others (or rather was _consciously_ reunited; Kurt had told him about Elliott’s visit.) “Hello,” he greeted them with a smile, carefully getting out of bed.  
  
“Adam! Hey!” Elliott rushed to him and hugged him a little too tightly. “How are you feeling?”  
  
Adam returned the hug and replied. “Much better, and, um, sorry for all the trouble I gave you all.”  
  
“Yeah, how inconsiderate of you to get hurt and almost die,” Sebastian teased, “Just remember what we agreed to in the car.”  
  
“I don’t actually,” Adam replied, “Sorry.”  
  
“If I ever get myself almost killed like you did, you have to haul my ass around,” Sebastian reminded him.  
  
“Oh! Right! Yes, of course. That’s only fair,” Adam said.  
  
Sebastian’s smirk turned into a genuine smile. “I’m glad you aren’t dead.”  
  
“Yeah, me, too,” Adam returned.  
  
“Say, where’s Kurt anyway?” Sebastian asked, looking around, “Did you finally make him go wash his ass?”  
  
“I can’t make Kurt do anything,” Adam responded, “But I might’ve persuaded him to go get something to eat and get cleaned up, yes.”  
  
“Thank God,” Elliott said, “I seriously thought he was gonna kill himself at the rate he was going.”  
  
“Also, the whole beard of sorrow thing doesn’t work for him like at all,” Sebastian added.  
  
“I heard that!” A voice called from the doorway. They all looked to see Kurt, who had indeed showered and shaved and was wearing clean clothes that Adam assumed had been provided by someone else in the hospital. “And it’s not like the whole grungy, unshaven look is really any better on you, Smythe,” Kurt added as he walked towards them all.  
  
“I dunno. I’ve gotten rather attached to my whiskers. I think I might keep them,” Adam suggested mischievously.  
  
“Don’t even,” Kurt returned, but there wasn’t much force behind it. He took Adam’s hand. “You know I’d love you no matter what, but beards are scratchy and gross.”  
  
Adam chuckled slightly. “Okay, love. Duly noted.”  
  
“Speaking of being gross, do we need to leave you guys alone here or what?” Sebastian interjected.  
  
“If you’re gonna be an ass, yes,” Kurt retorted.  
  
“Don’t say that! Then he’ll have to leave,” Elliott commented, shooting Sebastian an affectionate, if a bit wicked, look.  
  
“Hey! I drove you guys here! If it wasn’t for me, Gilbert here would’ve had us wrapped around a pole or something!” Sebastian said.  
  
The three of them continued to go back and forth, and Adam watched them with amusement. It truly was great to be alive and among friends. He sighed contentedly. For the first time in a while, he felt a genuine sense that they were all going to be alright.


End file.
